How to Self Publish a Book: The Definitive Guide

Learning how to self-publish a book and getting your ideas into the world is easier than it’s ever been. There is a wealth of knowledge available online, shared by authors who have developed proven techniques for selling more books. There are also a number of ways new authors can get access to professional services without breaking the bank.

In this post, Reedsy will share a common-sense, jargon-free approach to ascending the heights of the self publishing world.

A History of Self Publishing

By self-publishing, we generally mean printing and selling books outside the ‘traditional’ model — where companies pay authors advances and a royalty, working with them to edit, design, and distribute the book.

Since the advent of the Gutenberg press in the 15th century, many authors have bankrolled the publishing of their books. From the Brontë Sisters to Beatrix Potter, even now-classic writers started off as independent publishers. In the 20th century, authors could successfully self-publish to small markets they had access to (think church organizations or industry conferences). It wasn’t until the advent of ebooks and Amazon, however, that world-domination as an indie author became possible.

Today, anybody with an internet connection can write an ebook and make it available to hundreds of millions of readers — pretty much for free. The new challenge is to make these books bestsellers without the marketing might of a HarperCollins behind them — which many writers have managed to do.

Hugh Howey, the American sci-fi author whose novel Silo first become a bestseller when they were self published as a series of novellas.

Guy Kawasaki, the Silicon Valley tech evangelist whose book APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur laid out many of the principles self publishing authors now use to find success.

But what defines success in publishing? If it’s the ability for authors to support themselves as full-time writers, you might be surprised to learn that it can often be easier to achieve without a publisher — for reasons you will discover in the next section.

Bypassing the Gatekeepers: Advantages of Self Publishing

There are many benefits that draw authors to self publishing. Without having to go through the traditional gatekeepers of the publishing world, you will find:

Creative freedom. You have full control over the content, the title, the length, and the cover art. You have the option to collaborate with editors and designers — but in the end, the only editorial approval you’ll need is your own!

A guarantee of publishing. If you need to release your book by a certain date, pretty much the only way to guarantee it is to do it yourself. After all, you’re not beholden to the schedules of a gargantuan press.

A greater portion of royalties. By essentially cutting out the middleman, the self-published author will retain all the proceeds (minus the retailer’s cut).

100% ownership of rights. As part of their book deals, traditional publishers sometimes ask for exclusive rights to reprint, film adaptations, and merchandising. The self-publishing route at least ensures you remain in full control.

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Two Common Approaches to Self Publishing

Almost all independent authors choose one of two routes: DIY or Assisted.

DIY

This is where the author does everything by themselves, including the editing, designing, and marketing of their books. There are few (if any) people who can do all of this well, as many parts of the publishing process are usually overseen by professionals with years of experience in the field. Doing everything to a professional standard by one’s self is next to impossible.

Assisted

Self publishers can choose to work with freelance editors, proofreaders, designers, and marketers on their book. Because they tend to work with limited budgets, prudent independent authors will learn and do as much as they can by themselves before bringing in the pros to take care of everything outside their expertise.

Give your book the help it deserves

The best editors, designers, and book marketers are on Reedsy. Sign up for free and meet them.

Write the Book

An author with an advance, an agent and a regular editor will have a support team in place that helps guide the first draft. But, by and large, the process of writing a manuscript is the same for any author: with a little planning, discipline, and know-how, a new author can work their way from the first chapter to the final page.

Plan your first draft

An author’s plan for a book will depend on the type of publication they’re writing.

Non-fiction

When you're writing a non-fiction book that's either a how-to book, or a title that aims to solve a readers problem, the planning might include:

Research and interviews to develop content, and

The creation of a ‘book proposal.’

A ‘book proposal’ is common to traditional publishing: it’s a document that shows publishers what the end result of a book will be. More independent non-fiction authors have recently found it a useful to create one as well — to ensure that their book delivers on its promises. To get a sample template, check out this guide to writing a book proposal.

Memoir

While also based on true events, memoirs require a slightly different approach to non-fiction books. Unlike most other types of non-fiction, memoirs tend not to offer solutions to a reader’s problems. If you’re writing about your own life, check out this guide to outlining a memoir.

Fiction

In the preparation phase, most fiction writers will lay some groundwork and develop the world of their novel, sketch out their characters, and map the plot. To learn more about planning a novel, check out these articles:

Create a routine

Finding the time to write is an enormous challenge for authors — especially those who have to balance a full-time job and family obligations. To make sure you don’t lose momentum and interest in writing, you need to establish a sustainable writing habit that works with your schedule.

Perfect your craft

Writing a book is like developing any other skill: it requires time, effort, and a willingness to learn. If your goal is to be a better writer, make sure you’re always learning from your mistakes and building on them.

Edit the Manuscript

Editing is a pretty broad term that ranges from an author’s rewrites of their first draft to the final proofread before the book launch. In this section, we offer our recommended approach to editing your book for self publishing.

Self-edit as much as you can

An editor’s time is money: your money. Before you hand your work off to a professional, make sure you do everything you can for it — or you’ll just end up wasting money paying an editor to clean up basic mistakes.

If you’re a novelist, that might mean working through a few drafts to iron out the story and characters; for non-fiction, that might mean sharing the manuscript with a focus group and re-writing it based on feedback. Here are a few resources to help you revise and self-edit your manuscript:

Let a professional help you over the finishing line

Once you’ve taken your manuscript as far as you can by yourself, it’s best to bring in a fresh pair of eyes (that ideally belong to a professional editor). These days, finding your ideal editor is more straightforward than ever. For example, on the Reedsy Marketplace, you can search for (and request quotes from) professionals with experience in your genre.

Before getting too far down the editing rabbit hole, it’s important to understand the different types of editors, and what each of them does.

And of course, once your manuscript has been edited, polished, and proofread, it’s vital to make sure your book looks as good as it reads.

Design the Cover and Format the Interior

When we talk about book design, the first thing that jumps to mind is the cover, which is crucial. After all, self published authors rely heavily on a cover to sell the book, whether it's with ads or just by attracting readers on retailers like the Kindle store. However, it’s also important not to forget about interior design: the way that the words are formatted on the page.

Here are a couple of great resources to help you wrap your head around making a beautiful, readable book:

Once you’ve completed the step of designing and formatting, you will have everything you need to start selling your book. That takes us to the next stage.

Self Publish as an eBook and in Print

In days past, self publishing a book would involve getting a print run, which involves paying up-front for thousands of copies. Understandably, you risk ending up with copies that you struggle to sell. Thankfully, modern publishing has provided two solutions to this problem.

Print on Demand

With POD (Print on Demand), authors can upload their book files to a printing service, which will churn out individual copies as, and when, they are purchased. The cost-per-unit is higher than with traditional printing methods, but the lack of risk makes this the preferred option of self publishing authors.

The two largest POD services in the world are IngramSpark and CreateSpace, both of whom provide comparable products at similar costs. It is, however, worth investigating both options to see which one makes more sense for the kind of book you’re printing.

eBooks

Sales on the Kindle store are a self publishing author’s bread and butter. After all, it offers the highest percentage royalty, and eBooks are usually priced lower than print books, which appeals to readers who might not want to drop $15 on an author they’ve never heard of. Also, once the book is on an e-reader, the quality of the product is virtually indistinguishable from something that a big publisher puts out.

The Complete Guide to Ebook Distribution– Contains pretty much everything you need to know about selling your digital book. It includes sections about going ‘exclusive’ with Amazon, alternative retailers like Kobo and Barnes & Noble, and instructions on how to set your book up on retailers.

Master the Kindle Store (and Other Retailers)

Anybody can get their book onto the Amazon store for free — but few people know how to do it properly. When uploading your title, there are certain things you can do to make sure more of the right people see your book. Then there's the matter of getting the people who find your book to buy it. In short, you need to turn yourself into a bit of an Amazon expert.

Market Your Book Effectively

Apart from the part where you write a great book, all of the other steps above can be accomplished by anyone who’s done an afternoon of research. When it comes to marketing in self-publishing, things start to get a little more involved. The good news is that there are tried-and-tested methods for promoting your title, including automated mailing lists, price promotions, and online advertising.

Create an Awesome Launch Plan

A lot hinges on a book’s first few weeks on the market. To give yourself the best chance at thriving on Amazon and other platforms, your title must accumulate a healthy dose of sales and reviews soon after its release. With that in mind, a lot of work needs to go into preparing your book launch. Here’s what you need to learn:

The Dollars and Cents

Money is an obstacle that nearly all self publishing authors will face at the start of their career. After all, they are solely responsible for funding everything to do with the book. That being said, it doesn’t always mean that the author needs to empty their savings account.

The Cost of Self Publishing

Here are two resources that can help you determine your costs and find alternate ways to cover them:

Crowdfunding for Authors(Free Course) – Discover tips and hacks for running a crowdfunding campaign that will help fund your book’s production and boost your launch.

The upside to all this, as we hinted at earlier, is that by bearing most of the costs, the self publishing author also gets to enjoy most of the spoils.

Royalties

To give you an idea of the money you can expect to make from each copy sold, let’s look at the royalties offered to both self published and traditionally published authors.

Author royalties on paperbacks:

Traditionally published authors can expect around 5%.

Self published authors will see 20-50% depending on printing costs.

Author royalties on ebooks:

Traditionally published authors tend to see 20-25% of net (after the retailer’s cut).

Self published authors enjoy up to 70% if their book is priced reasonably.

This massive disparity is one of the reasons why J.K. Rowling has dipped her toes into self publishing. The ebooks and audiobooks of her Harry Potter series are now released by her own company, Pottermore, allowing her to take the publisher’s share of sales as well as the author's.

Additional Resources

Knowledge is power, and for indie authors, it’s also our greatest asset. There's plenty to learn when it comes to becoming a smart and efficient publisher, so as a send-off, here are a few more resources to help you on your way to the top of the bestseller charts:

The journey to publishing a book can be treacherous, but if you prepare yourself adequately, and surround yourself with the right people, it can also be one of the most satisfying challenges of your life.

Do you have any thoughts or questions about how to self publish a book? Drop a comment in the box below and the folks at Reedsy will get back to you.

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